Sprinkle Cookies

Imagine biting into a perfectly tender, buttery cookie with a satisfying crunch from colorful sprinkles in every bite. These delightful Sprinkle Cookies are the ultimate crowd-pleasing treat that brings joy with both their appearance and taste. The cream cheese in the dough creates an irresistibly soft texture while maintaining the cookie’s structure for that perfect chew. Whether you’re baking for a birthday celebration, holiday gathering, or simply craving something sweet, these festive sprinkle cookies will brighten any dessert table. You’ll learn how to create bakery-quality cookies with simple ingredients and foolproof techniques that guarantee success every time.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These Sprinkle Cookies are about to become your new favorite for so many reasons. First, they strike the perfect balance between softness and structure—tender enough to melt in your mouth but sturdy enough to hold their shape. The combination of butter and cream cheese creates an incomparable richness that elevates them above ordinary sugar cookies.

The colorful sprinkle coating provides not just visual appeal but also a delightful textural contrast against the soft interior. Each bite delivers a satisfying crunch followed by pillowy softness that makes these cookies truly special.

What’s more, this recipe is remarkably forgiving and adaptable. Even novice bakers can achieve perfect results, and you can easily customize the sprinkles to match any holiday, celebration, or color scheme. The food processor method also means less mess and more consistent results than traditional hand-mixing techniques.

The vanilla-forward flavor profile means these cookies pair beautifully with coffee, tea, or milk, making them perfect for any time of day. They’re sophisticated enough for adults yet fun enough that children will reach for them first on any dessert tray.

Ingredients List for the Sprinkle Cookies

These ingredients work together to create the perfect balance of texture and flavor. The combination of butter and cream cheese is what gives these cookies their distinctive tender crumb, while the mix of granulated and powdered sugars ensures the perfect sweetness and structure.

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt*
• ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
• ½ cup (4 ounces) cream cheese
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup jimmies sprinkles

Pro Tips

Keep ingredients cold: For the best texture in your sprinkle cookies, both the butter and cream cheese should be cold when added to the food processor. Unlike many cookie recipes that call for room temperature ingredients, using cold fats here creates pockets of steam during baking that help create the perfect texture.

Don’t overprocess: When pulsing the dough in your food processor, stop as soon as it comes together. Overprocessing can lead to tough cookies by developing too much gluten in the flour. The dough should be cohesive but not completely smooth for the best final texture.

Trust the timing: These cookies may look slightly underbaked when you remove them from the oven, but this is intentional! Removing them at this stage ensures they stay soft after cooling. Remember that cookies continue to bake from residual heat even after being removed from the oven. If you wait until they look completely done, they’ll end up overbaked and dry once cooled.

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare baking pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.

Step 2: Place flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse a few times to blend.

Step 3: Add the COLD butter cubes and COLD cream cheese as well as the granulated and powdered sugars to the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture becomes sandy in texture.

Step 4: Add the egg and vanilla and blend until the dough comes together.

Step 5: Roll the dough into 1 ½ tablespoon balls and then roll into sprinkles.

Step 6: Place the cookies on the prepared baking pan, spacing 1-2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies to between ¼ and ½ inch tall.

Step 7: Bake for 8-10 minutes until they look slightly under baked.

Step 8: Allow to rest for 2 minutes on the baking pan. If the cookies appear puffy, use the bottom of a glass to lightly press them down while they are cooling. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Variations

Chocolate Sprinkle Cookies: Transform these vanilla sprinkle cookies into a chocolate lover’s dream by replacing ¼ cup of the all-purpose flour with unsweetened cocoa powder. The rich chocolate base creates a beautiful contrast with the colorful sprinkles and provides a deeper flavor profile. For an extra touch, add ½ cup of mini chocolate chips to the dough before rolling.

Lemon Sprinkle Cookies: For a bright, citrusy twist, add the zest of one lemon and replace the vanilla extract with 1 teaspoon of lemon extract. The tangy flavor pairs beautifully with the sweet cookie base, creating a refreshing variation that’s perfect for spring and summer gatherings. You could even use pastel-colored sprinkles to enhance the seasonal feel.

Gluten-Free Option: These festive sprinkle cookies can easily be made gluten-free by substituting the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend. Make sure to check that your sprinkles are also gluten-free, as some varieties contain wheat-based ingredients. The cream cheese in the recipe helps maintain moisture and texture, making these cookies just as delicious in their gluten-free form.

Storage and Serving

These sprinkle cookies stay fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. For longer storage, you can freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months—simply layer them between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-safe container to prevent sticking. You can also freeze the unbaked, sprinkle-coated dough balls for up to 2 months; just add 1-2 minutes to the baking time when cooking from frozen.

For an elevated dessert experience, sandwich a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two cookies to create colorful ice cream sandwiches that are perfect for birthday celebrations. These cookies also make a beautiful addition to holiday cookie platters, where their festive appearance stands out among other treats.

For a special touch, serve these cookies alongside a glass of cold milk, a cup of hot chocolate, or even a dessert wine like Moscato for adult gatherings. The versatility of these sprinkle cookies makes them appropriate for everything from children’s parties to sophisticated adult dessert tables.

FAQs

Why did my sprinkle cookies spread too much?
If your cookies are spreading too much during baking, your dough might be too warm. Try chilling the dough balls for 20-30 minutes before baking. Also, make sure your butter and cream cheese were cold when added to the food processor.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Absolutely! The dough for these sprinkle cookies can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Just let it sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before rolling to make it easier to handle.

What type of sprinkles work best for these cookies?
Jimmies (the long, thin sprinkles) work best because they don’t bleed their colors into the dough and hold their shape well during baking. Nonpareils (tiny ball sprinkles) tend to bleed colors and can create a messy appearance.

Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?
Yes, you can use salted butter, but you should reduce the added salt to ¼ teaspoon instead of ¾ teaspoon to avoid making the cookies too salty.

Why does the recipe specify using a food processor?
The food processor method creates a unique texture by cutting the cold fats into the dry ingredients rather than creaming them, resulting in sprinkle cookies with a tender, melt-in-your-mouth quality. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter and cream cheese into the flour mixture until sandy, then mix in the remaining ingredients by hand.

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